Immanuel Lutheran breaks ground with Larson-Danielson on new middle school wing

On Sunday, August 24, Immanuel Lutheran Church & School hosted a groundbreaking ceremony that welcomed hundreds of attendees from both Immanuel’s congregation and the surrounding community. The celebration took place following the traditional Sunday morning service. The project will be constructed by Larson-Danielson, and it will create a new middle school wing on the northern end of the existing school.

Immanuel Lutheran Church & School is focused on creating a better experience for the community as they share God’s word through their various missions. One way they are able to achieve this is through the expansion of the school and increasing the number of students they are able to enroll and impact. This expansion is being supported by a fundraising campaign undertaken by Immanuel to improve and expand its facilities.

“The goal for the campaign is to raise $20 million,” said Joshua Bachman, principal of Immanuel Lutheran School. “This campaign is in the first of five phases, and we’ve already raised more than $14 million.”

This Capital Campaign, known as “Renew & Rejoice: A Campaign for Immanuel’s Next Chapter,” was started a little under a year ago. Karl Keller, campaign chairperson, is thrilled that the school gets to celebrate the immediate success of the campaign with the community at the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Our plan is to meet with every member of the congregation, which is about 425 households, and share with them what is on the agenda for the campaign and the specifics about each aspect of the campaign,” Keller said. “We’ve got long-time members of the congregation who have spent their entire lives here, and it’s exciting to have so many people behind us for this phase of it.”

While this development has been on the horizon for Immanuel for several years, there have been some speed bumps along the way. Today, the project takes another step  toward the finish line.

“When we got started on this years ago, it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Keller said. “We had an idea for something like this to happen for a while, and we were able to start bringing it together about two years ago. We have a building committee, countless people on the campaign committee, and a team that trusts that the Holy Spirit is leading us and will provide what we need to do God’s will.”

Larson-Danielson and its design arm, Facet Architecture, are responsible for the design and construction of the project. Jeff Jensen, project manager and vice president of Larson-Danielson, is looking forward to this project with Immanuel Lutheran Church.

“It’s great to see Immanuel Lutheran Church & School grow,” Jensen said. “We feel very blessed and honored to have the opportunity to play a part in supporting this expansion.”

At Larson-Danielson, the mission is to deliver high-quality, lasting projects that strengthen the community while upholding safety and value. Contributing to the growth of Immanuel and its members is sure to make a positive impact for a very long time.

“The community outreach for the school has been fantastic in the last few years,” Jensen said. “The school enrollment from 2023 to this year has increased from 200 to 275 students. Supporting the school’s expansion is especially meaningful, as it will enable increased class sizes in the years ahead and extend these valuable educational opportunities to even more students throughout the community.”

This event is also a celebration of 75 years since the Immanuel Lutheran School first opened. Senior Pastor Andrew Fields of Immanuel Lutheran Church can’t wait to see the way this project will touch the residents of Valparaiso, as well as future students at the school.

“We built the first school on the campus of Valparaiso University, and quickly outgrew that facility,” Fields said. “I’m filled with gratitude for the past and hope for the future here. I just think back to all of the blessings to get to this point, and how it will continue for future families and generations. Maybe the people who started our school 75 years ago were thinking about us in the same way that we are thinking about who will come long after we’re gone.

Fields can’t wait to see the new middle school wing come together. He’s looking forward to seeing Larson-Danielson and Facet Architecture bring this longtime vision to life.

“We aim to be a church for the community and beyond,” Fields said. “It’s great for us to have a coalition of people that share the same goals and come together to get it done. Larson-Danielson has been amazing for us to work with, and we have full confidence in them for this project. It’ll help out not just the church and the school, but the Valparaiso community as a whole.”

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, attendees were welcomed to break the ground themselves. Food, beverages, and a presentation of Immanuel Lutheran School celebrating 75 years took place inside the facility after the ceremony as well.

For more information on Larson-Danielson, you can visit ldconstruction.com. To learn more about Immanuel Lutheran Church & School, check out their Facebook page or visit www.immanuelvalpo.org.